On Your Feet
by RchHghr
Summary: Videl just needs to hear the words of a friend.


Objective: I don't own anything.

Just a small piece of cheese to start your new year off right.

000000

My feet touch down on the school's rooftop and I wobble a fraction of a few seconds. I catch myself and stand at full height. My cheeks burn with the embarrassment of the situation. I've been practicing this for a while now; I should not have any problems.

My feet are bare and the cold of the roof makes me shiver. I pull my hood up and walk over to the door and pull the handle down. The door isn't locked. It's never locked anymore. After vandals tagged up the door with messages of the city and how corrupt it is, they installed a new one, and Gohan, most of the time late, and with a secret agenda of his own, used the door to his advantage.

And then he broke it. He snapped the handle and put it back the best way that he could. It turns, but the inside is broken so it doesn't lock. It stays closed to the wind and stormy weather. With tonight being so cold, I walk in and follow the stairs down to the floor where my locker is. In my locker I have my gym shoes and track jacket. I put those on. They do not smell like a field full of flowers but they'll do.

I shut the locker door and come face to face with Gohan. I actually step back. "What are you doing here!?" I yell, my misplaced anger aimed directly at him.

Him, in clothes for the season, he scratches the back of his neck and shows me his math book with the taped up cover. "I forgot my math book."

I frown, arms crossed in front of me. Even at my full height I don't come anywhere near as tall as he is, but my attitude makes up for it.

"I don't know why you even bother to do the homework. You obviously know more than every student in this whole school."

He shakes his head with quite some embarrassment. With a shake of his hand in front of himself he says, "That's not true. I have a lot to learn."

Even he can't possibly believe that lie.

"Well you have your book, so have a good night." I turn to go and he stops me. "Why are you here Videl?"

Arms still crossed I look at his math book. On the cover there is an indentation of a circle with four stars in the middle of it that he must've drawn on paper too hard with a pencil. It's obvious someone doesn't always take notes even though he pretends to.

"I forgot my math book as well. Tomorrow, I want to get a crack on the homework before class on Monday," I abide with even a fist whooping motion. My dead voice is a dead give away, but half the time he doesn't call me out on it. I don't really feel like telling him anyways. Once he gets back to his imperfect-perfect family my problems probably don't matter.

He drops the book in his bag and a small stuffed toy dragon of purple and yellow drops out. He picks it up, looks at it a moment and smiles with a small shake of his head. It's his little brother's. I've seen it before on his bed and on the desk where Gohan's school books and paper's are scattered.

And he has a happy moment in his head. Goten must've put it in his bag as a way of having a piece of home with him when he "disappears" for hours of the day to go to school.

"Don't you think you're a bit too big to be playing with toys," the little green monster in my head spats out at him.

"Goten must've put it in there," he says. He puts the bag on his back. "Want me to walk you up to the roof and then we go our separate ways?" he offers.

"You go ahead, I have to do something and then I'm going home."

"I can wait for you," he says and gives that goofy smile when he gets embarrassed. He thinks he might offend me, or that I might get the wrong message, but he's wrong.

He adds, as an afterthought, looking up into his brain, "I better make sure I have my other books. I don't think mom would be too happy if I fell behind in my studies."

"But you're strong! You can make money for your family by that. Wouldn't she want that!?" I blaze. My hands drop to my sides and clench.

"No," he shrugs, "she wants better than that. Unlike normal kids, she does not want me to follow in my father's footsteps." He shrugs. "She's the boss. She's always been that way. Whatever she says goes….that is unless we're up to no good."

I bet happy, great memories flood his head, and that's what makes me madder. It makes me remember why I'm at this school instead of at home in my room.

"Videl, are you alright?" he questions.

"Why do you say that?"

No anger, or expressive emotion of astonishment he says, "You just slammed my backpack onto the ground."

I look at the bag and crouch down and pick it up. I hand it back. "Sorry, it's just that," at a loss for words I quickly turn it around and say, "I really don't like math."

"Is something wrong?" he questions. The strap on his bookbag is broken. He holds onto it over his shoulder.

Now I feel bad. I broke his backpack for no reason but for my own personal anger.

"Gohan, how did you get put with a perfect family?" I question on a quieter note. The notes of anger from earlier leave my voice and fly away as quick as I hope to be able to fly one day.

"My family isn't perfect. Let's go sit in the gym."

"Don't you have to go home soon?" I question, "won't ChiChi be mad that you've disappeared in the middle of the night?"

"She will, but there is something on your shoulders that you have to get rid of."

We go into the gym and he lifts off the ground to sit on top of the folded up bleachers.

I look up at it and frown. If I can't do this simple move perfectly by now I know he will be let down. We've been at these moves for a while now, and his brother can fly circles around me.

I concentrate real hard and levitate off the ground and quick enough I'm sitting next to him.

"Nice, but you can relax. The minimal amount of energy is just enough for small moves for when you need to handle a bigger task the reserve will serve it."

Just how dorky can he sound? It actually lightens my mood. He doesn't know the gist of being and acting normal. However the way he grew up, he wasn't a normal child. Then again, people who fly aren't normal at all.

"Did you read that off a cookie, _Sensei?_" I mock.

"I've had great teachers, like you do now," he jokes and I elbow him lightly. Short hair cannot curtain what I am feeling so I just get to it. I know I came here wanting to steam and simmer but with him, and just the persona he persists in action I feel like I can say anything.

I hate myself for feeling that way.

"How did you get such a great family?" I try again.

"All families have their high points and their low points. Even though it isn't the highest point my family is at a great point. My mom has what she wants and needs right now. She doesn't have everything. She misses my dad, but with the handfuls she has, she makes the best. It isn't always great, but it just is." He gives an unconscious little shrug.

"Well that's not the picture I see. When I'm over there I see a loving mother and great sons who care about her just as much as she cares about them. The family is happy and healthy and comfortable. There is enough love to fill in the spaces where there could be more. It's just not needed."

He inwardly smiles. He knows he has it all, but a small fraction of a frown escapes. The boy doesn't have his dad, but he has a ton of memories to keep him warm in these freezing temperatures.

"Sometimes image is everything. If you can persuade those with what you want from them they will want it back."

"I try that! I really do, but sometimes; most of the time, it doesn't work for me. I want some kind of family, but the only kind I have is the image for the cameras, and for the people. We have what we want people to believe. When the camera isn't rolling it's always about figuring out what we are going to display next. It get's exhausting…kind of like you and your disguise."

"Now, my disguise is great."

I narrow my eyes and shake my head. "It's not great Gohan. It's like my family, it could be better."

"Then I guess both have to be fixed, and the best way to do that is to address it."

"Gohan, your disguise needs work. Myself, I wish I had a personal life with my family where it wasn't broadcasted on the television."

"Tell him that. Make a personal life that doesn't involve martial arts, televisions or cameras. Even if it's far and wide it's yours and not the publics."

"I guess I'll try that. I don't know if he'll go for it. He's all about his image. If he's not perfect then I'm not perfect."

"Perfect is whatever you want it to be."

"You should know, you are perfect."

"Far from it. I just wear it better. I hide behind my disguise, remember. Maybe your father hides behind his."

"That's what makes it hard to be a family. I should just try harder. Maybe he will too. Maybe he'll come to realize that family is very important."

He nods. He smiles. He always smiles, whether a real one or an embarrassed one.

"You're such a dork sometimes Gohan."

He laughs. He's back to scratching at his neck. "I'm trying this normal thing the best I can. I think I'm doing a great job."

I huff a bout of breath. This sweat jacket doesn't smell too good right now. I feel embarrassed as heat goes to my face. I just don't address it.

"I'll fly with you to the halfway point," he says. He ties the strap with a tight knot that just tears it apart and makes it worse.

"Sorry. I was still reeling from a fight I had with my dad tonight. You can use mine. I didn't take it home this weekend."

"Who forgot their math book?" he challenges.

"That's the only book I took home. Maybe I can come over and copy your homework?"

"How will you ever learn?"

"When I can translate that chicken scratch you call penmanship."

He just laughs. He jumps down. I follow suit and land on my feet.

000

Happy New Year.


End file.
